


Lost In National City

by idk_books



Category: One Day at a Time (TV 2017), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, College, Coming Out, Crossover, Double Date, F/F, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, LGBTQ Themes, National City (DCU), Robbery, Texting, Underage Drinking, restaurant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-05-31 09:54:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19423603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idk_books/pseuds/idk_books
Summary: Elena Alvarez is on a summer programme in National City. It's meant to be the best summer ever but she's struggling to find her way around and her roommate isn't exactly welcoming. An accidental encounter with a frustrated, and slightly drunk, Alex Danvers means that things start to look up for both of them and who knows, maybe she will get to meet her hero, Supergirl.





	1. Alvarez, meet Danvers. Danvers, meet Alvarez

**Author's Note:**

> Supergirl is a recent discovery of mine and I largely started watching it because of the brief reference to it in One Day at A Time and the fan art with Elena and Alex holding the pride flag. Since then, I've loved the idea of Elena and Alex somehow meeting and imaging how that kind of interaction would go down. It's not perfect and there are probably fairly significant holes but I gave it my best shot!
> 
> 13/10/19: I never thought it would get this long! It originally started as a brief, badly realised, idea about the two of them bumping into each other in a bar and it went from there. I think it's time that - now they've all got happy endings - that Elena goes back to LA and Alex continues to fight alien threat.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex has just come out and been knocked back by Maggie. She seeks solace in her favourite bar but ends up befriending Elena Alvarez who has managed to get lost in National City after being awarded a place on the summer programme there. Alex ends up unburdening to Elena and Elena helps her to see that things might not be that bad after all.

Elena was lost. It was an unfamiliar feeling: she usually planned everything so meticulously that getting lost was never an option. But this was a new city and she was excited and in a rush to get out and explore. Now she was ‘exploring’ but she had no idea what or where. The map she’d spent ages researching before buying was still in her dorm room – she could picture it lying on her bed - and she was here. Wherever here was.

At least she’d made it in the first place. Elena didn't think she'd ever be accepted onto the summer programme at National City. Although she’d been used to being the best, that was at St B's. The competition was a little stiffer at Yale and she’d struggled to keep pace. When the posters appeared around campus about the programme, she stamped down the excitement as she knew she'd never be chosen. She’d told Syd about the programme, and how cool it was, and that she wasn't going to apply as there was no way she'd be chosen. They were understanding but half an hour later she received a series of overbearing 'motivational' phone calls from her Mom and Abuelita convincing her to fill in the form. She was irritated but couldn't help but be touched by Syd's unwavering support. Even if it came in the form of going behind her back to boost her confidence.

Because of their encouragement, and not a little bit of coercion, she’d filled in the application and then tried to forget all about it. When the email came through to tell her she’d been selected it was a genuine and total surprise but not to anyone else: her mom already had a congratulations card written and sealed, and Syd had met her excited emoji-riddled text with a simple “I told you so”.

But now she was in National City and lost and Syd wasn’t around to get her Abuelita to sort things out. Elena couldn't even remember why she'd been so excited to come. Syd had told her continually how cool it was that she was going to Supergirl’s very own city and yes, this was where Supergirl hung out but if she actually met Supergirl, it would most likely mean that something had gone horribly wrong. And besides, she wasn't sure she should even be a fan of Supergirl. Her heroics drew attention away from the emergency services who'd been doing just fine before she came along and she was clearly being objectified: a mini-skirt and long, flowing hair isn't the most practical outfit... even if it did look hot. Which Elena suspected was the point.

She didn't think simply being lost was a big enough emergency to meet Supergirl but it would soon become one if she ended up missing all of those mandatory classes. As she wandered, trying to look more confident than she was feeling, she spotted a bar. The surrounding area wasn't the nicest and she didn't want to spend any more time there than she had to and she figured the bar might at least hold a vaguely friendly bartender who could point her in the right direction. All the cliched TV shows she’d absorbed since starting Yale strongly suggested this would be the case. She hoped the bar - given the surroundings - wasn't the sort to be too vigilant in terms of its ID policy and she'd actually be able to ask for help before being ejected.

As she pushed the door open, the largely silent atmosphere seemed to push back, barring her entry. She nearly allowed the door to fall shut with her on the outside to contend with the seedy neighbourhood. She'd forgotten National City had become the hub for America's alien refugees since the amnesty act but was immediately reminded of this as she crossed the threshold. She’d read that the act hadn’t been universally popular and aliens still preferred to mask their true identities so she hadn’t been expecting to see so many comfortable in their true forms. The faces who turned from their drinks to look at her as she finally entered were unfamiliar, to say the least, and she struggled to mask her surprise whilst reflexively starting to plan an essay on the diversity of larger cities. She managed not to stare though, realising that at this moment, she was the outsider, again. She wasn't sure which would be more rude though, to stay or to go. This was their space and she didn't want to encroach on it but she didn't want to cause offense by carrying out an immediate U-turn. But then she saw another human and figured it would be ok to stay, and started towards the bar.

The sound of her footsteps approaching the bar was interrupted by a clunk from the pool table as her fellow human bent over it, expertly wielding a cue. She seemed angry, and a little bit drunk which made Elena all the more intrigued as it was only just noon. She also felt a spark of kinship which she hoped wasn't just because she thought her the only other non-alien there. Her hesitant walk to the bar continued as she tried to formulate what she would say when she got there. Should she test her Mom's theory that she looked way older than eighteen by ordering a drink? Should she just get directions and leave? Or was that rude? She had no idea.

The woman at the table had decided that if she played enough pool and drank enough scotch, the gnawing pain in her gut would go. The scotch would probably do more than the pool. It didn't help that the last time she played was with... that didn't matter now. None of it mattered. It was just her. Her and the pool table and a handful of aliens one of whom tutted every time her cue hit the ball too loudly. She reached for her drink but was met with a mouthful of melted ice with only a hint of scotch. It was only as she stood up with her disappointing glass that she spotted the intruder. That girl, with her nerd glasses and scuffed Doc Martens clearly didn’t belong and the woman willed her to realise this and leave but instead the girl kept going.

Elena was startled by the voice over her shoulder, "Same again, and whatever she's having." The woman from the pool table wasn’t usually one for buying drinks for strangers but the three scotches had made her friendlier and she felt an innate desire to protect this nerd who was clearly lost. This girl clearly needed a friend. And she kind of needed one too.

The bartender looked expectantly at Elena who was struggling to piece together what had just happened. The woman from the pool table appeared to be offering to buy her a drink and well, it'd be rude not to, "Err... I'll just have a coke." The bartender continued to look at her and she remembered her Cuban heritage, "and rum. I'll have a rum and coke. Please." She turned to thank the pool woman but she was already back at the table.

"Shall I put this on your tab, Alex? Again?" the bartender called across to the pool table and Alex responded with a lack-lustre thumbs up. "It's going to be one heck of a tab," he muttered as he placed the drinks on the bar and Elena realised it was now her responsibility to take the drinks. She wished she'd been to more bars so she could put on a more convincing show of knowing what she was doing. She wasn't sure of exactly where to take them; the woman was absorbed in her solo pool game and there wasn't a regular table close to her. Nevertheless Elena headed towards her, hoping she'd be noticed before she arrived at the table and wondering what exactly it was she was walking towards.

She took a breath, preparing to announce her presence and then the woman looked up anyway, "Hey. Thanks for bringing them over."

"No worries. Thanks for the drink. How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing. This one's on me." She smiled and walked to a booth, taking her drink from Elena and leaving her standing, slightly open mouthed and clutching her drink by the pool table. "Are you going to join me?"

Elena's jaw dropped even more. What was happening? Is this why her mother had told her never to go to a bar? How quickly should she tell Alex about Syd? Curiosity - and politeness - got the better of her and she sat down.

"I'm Elena," she stretched a hand across the table. Alex looked at suspiciously before realising Elena was initiating a hand shake so she took it, although briefly.

"Alex."

"Oh yeah, I know... the bartender said... I have a brother... he's called Alex too... but he’s, you know, a guy."

Alex smiled in quiet amusement at Elena’s ramblings. She was clearly oblivious addressing Alex’s shoulder instead of her face. Alex waited for her to finish, “So Elena,” she took a sip of scotch, “What brings you here? You’re not this bar’s usual type of customer.”

Elena glanced round at their surroundings, "Oh, I'm just visiting for the summer. The city, not the bar. I'm here on a summer programme. From Yale. I got here this morning and thought I'd explore."

Alex was somewhat baffled by Elena’s flashes of confidence that were mixed in with an almost equal amount of panic. Everything that came out of her mouth was articulate but she still hadn’t properly made eye contact with her. Something had clearly gone wrong in the exploration for Elena to have ended up here and Alex was curious as to what, "This neighbourhood isn't normally on the Top 10 must see places of National City."

Elena flushed red and forced a laugh, "Yeah, I figured. I forgot my map and I thought I’d just be able to figure it out."

"You don't have a cell?"

"What?" Elena’s embarrassment deepened as she noticed Alex hiding a smirk behind her drink and realised what she was highlighting.

"Do they not have Google maps at Yale?" Alex tried to smile reassuringly in an attempt not to make Elena’s embarrassment any worse. It didn’t seem to work.

"Oh God." Elena blushed an even deeper red and dropped her head into her hands then lifted it and took a large gulp of her drink, forgetting the rum and suddenly being reminded of it as it hit the back of her throat. She swallowed quickly, trying to act as if this wasn't her first drink ever.

Alex started to regret the drunken confidence that had led to her buying a drink for this kid. Elena had clearly never drunk before and although it was kind of cute when she tried not to wince, Alex worried about the path that she was leading Elena down. And she worried what age Elena was that meant she hadn't had her first drink before but packed these worries down and aimed for reassurance, "It's ok. We've all been there."

"I've not been there." Elena began emphatically, "I'm usually so organised. Like, obsessively organised. I can't believe I just left the campus without thinking about where I was going or what I would need. I mean, it's National City. It's huge and Supergirl's not going to rescue me just for getting lost." She stopped and just blinked at Alex, as if trying to re-emphasise her point.

"You know Supergirl?" Alex sipped her drink, raising an eyebrow anticipating the response.

"Of course. I mean, I don't know her know her. But I've read all about her and I love what she's doing for feminism. She embodies ‘this girl can’. Although I'm still not sure about the skirt."

Alex chuckled as she took another sip of her drink - she was clearly a far more seasoned drinker than Elena. “You know, I’ve often wondered about the practicalities of saving the world in a mini-skirt. I’m very much a combat pants kind of girl. So are most people I know. There’s this cop, also a girl, Maggie, who I’ve never seen in a skirt. I don’t think she’d ever wear a skirt. At least not for crime fighting and I think Supergirl kind of pisses her off which is funny ‘cos well anyway. She…” Alex broke off abruptly. Elena stared, wide eyed, waiting for her to finish her train of thought. But the moment was clearly gone. “So yeah, skirts. Not practical.” She stood up and moved back to the pool table. “Pool?”

Elena took another sip of her drink, trying to acclimatise to her new hobby. She’d definitely missed something somewhere, the way Alex’s demeanour had shifted from relaxed cockiness to something completely other when she talked about the cop. And the way she was chalking her cue, as if she was hoping she could be chalked away. But pool. It seemed today was the day for lots of new experiences. “Sure, why not?” she replied. She grabbed a cue from the rack that was adjacent to the table as Alex expertly organised the balls in the triangular rack.


	2. You've Not Done This Before Either

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex attempts to teach Elena to play pool. It goes about as well as Elena's attempts at getting Alex to open up.

“Do you play much pool at Yale?” Alex asked, carefully lining up the cue ball. 

Elena examined the cue, curiously, “I’m more into video games.”

“I thought so.” Alex turned to face her, “You do know you’re holding that upside down. Turn it around before you damage the tip.”

Elena spun the cue around and narrowly avoided smacking another customer in the face. Alex stood rigidly against the table, barely registering Elena’s near miss, “Hey, are you ok?” Elena moved to stand next to her trying to meet her eye with a sympathetic look but as she got to the table, Alex turned and moved to the other side.

Alex ignored her, “Do you mind if I break?” 

“Break what?” it was becoming increasingly apparent that playing pool was going to be another thing that wasn’t going to go Elena’s way today.

“Start,” Alex gestured impatiently at the table, “you’ve not done this before either,” she muttered. “Do you mind if I start?”

“No, go ahead. Are you sure you’re ok though?”

“Yes. Why?” Alex bent over the table and fired the cue ball into the triangle, scattering it across the table. There was a satisfying think as a ball found home in the corner pocket but Alex didn’t bother celebrating.

Elena lay the cue across the edge of the table, “Something’s changed and I don’t know if it’s me. I’m told I’m a lot. So, thanks for the drink but I’m gonna go.”

“No stay.” Alex felt a sudden unexpected panic build in her throat, that she’d be abandoned at the pool table again. “I’m sorry. I’ve just got, you know, stuff.” Alex reached for her drink and sipped it slowly. 

Elena continued to stare, scrutinising Alex with an intense gaze. “Sorry about the stuff, whatever it is.” also taking a sip, just about managing not to wince, “Tell me, do you usually buy drinks for eighteen year olds in bars.”

Alex spluttered into her drink, almost returning the contents of her mouth to the glass, “you’re only eighteen?” The low-level panic suddenly intensified.

“Yep.” She picked up the cue, “so how do you play pool?”

“Oh. Well. It can get complicated but basically you just want to hit the white ball into the other balls and get them into the pockets.”

“Ok, cool.” Elena swung her cue onto the table and haphazardly swatted at the cue ball which then spun across the table, managing to miss all of the other balls. “Damn!” she exclaimed before turning back to Alex. “Oh and, just so you know, in case you were checking me out as I showed off my natural pool playing talent, I’m taken.”

"What?” Alex sensing her chest tighten and struggling to catch her breath. “Oh god, no, no, no, no, no...That's not, that’s not what’s happening here." This was turning out to be quite the afternoon and she really needed to cut down on the scotch. This was not something she wanted to be explaining to Kara.

“Relax, I’m kidding. Why? Were you checking me out?”

Alex wished Elena would go back to not making eye contact. Her intelligent study of her was unnerving and she realised Elena was likely getting closer to figuring the reality of the situation out, “No! Definitely not.”

“Hey! I’m out of your league anyway.”

Alex couldn’t help but laugh at Elena’s dorky arrogance especially when compared with… never mind, “No I mean, you clearly weren’t where you expected to be, and I thought I’d be friendly. Just friendly, nothing else. I’m not sure I’m doing a very good job though.”

"I think you're doing ok," Elena smiled, "I mean, you're the friendliest person I've met in this city so far." She lined up her cue, ready to take another shot. 

Alex grinned. "Not too fast, it’s my turn.” She turned back to the table and added almost under her breath, “kind is always good. I'm just sorry I'm not Supergirl."

Elena watched in admiration as Alex got yet another ball in the pocket, "They do say never meet your heroes. I imagine she's a bit of a let down anyway."

Alex straightened up from her hunched position over the table, "She's not that bad."

"You've met her?" Elena made a vague attempt at taking a shot but hoped that sheer will power would be enough.

"Something like that." 

"That's awesome. I guess that's close enough, meeting someone who's met Supergirl." Stepping back from the pool table, she reached for her drink and took a sip before catching Alex’s elbow as she took aim, "Anyway, do you want to talk about it?"

"What? Meeting Supergirl?" Alex lent back over the table, knowing she was deliberately missing the point, and potted yet another aim at the rainbow coloured balls. 

Elena moved to the opposite side of the table trying to catch Alex’s eye, "No... The stuff. You know, that you're going through."

“I don’t know. I don’t really do talking. It tends not to end well. And I’m really not sure about opening up to some randomer I met in a bar. No offense.” Alex left her cue on the table and headed back to their booth.

“Jeez, how many times are you going to insult me?” Elena said, following Alex and clutching her almost empty glass. She was enjoying the extra push of confidence the run had given her even if she suspected it was just the placebo effect. 

“Sorry,” Alex turned to address Elena as they reached the booth. “You’re welcome to leave. You’ve got your free drink. The good ol’ National City hospitality.” She raised her now empty glass and hoped that this time Elena would just go. Instead Elena sat down in her spot in the booth, apparently oblivious to Alex’s sudden desire for solitude.

“No, I can stay. Besides, I still need to figure out how this ‘Google maps’ works.” Elena chuckled to herself.

“Ok,” Alex began, admitting defeat, “tell me about yourself. Tell me about the summer programme. Tell me about your boyfriend.” Alex put her drink down, serious face intact. 

"What makes you think I've got a boyfriend?"

"You said you were taken."

"Yeah, I am, but not by a boy."

"Oh.” Alex blinked, trying to mask her surprise. That shouldn’t have been surprise at all given the flannel and the pride flag pin she’d just spotted… she also tried to mask the surprise at the relief she was now feeling, “oh ok… cool.”

“Is that a problem?”

Alex blinked, taken aback by Elena’s sudden defensiveness. “No, not at all! No, of course not! So, what’s she like? How long have you two been together?” 

"They're great. Yeah, Syd's fantastic. We've been dating for a couple of years now."

"Are they at Yale too?" Alex was suddenly grateful that her recent Google searches had given her the 101 on pronouns and was relieved to see Elena relax again.

"No. They stayed at home for college. The long-distance thing is rough but we're making it work." Elena played wistfully with a coaster, picking at its edges. 

"That's good. I guess if it's meant to be, it's meant to be."

"Yeah, I hope so. What about you? Anyone in your life?" 

Alex froze momentarily. She carefully set her drink down on the table and stared into it, spinning the glass absently before forcing her head back up. “Er no. There’s no one.” She smiled weakly, trying to force a facsimile of the relaxed rapport they’d had, “My job… it’s intense. There’s not much time for dating.” 

Elena suspected Alex was getting closer to her stuff and she started to wonder if it had anything to do with the cop from earlier as the mood had shifted back to the same rigid awkwardness of before. But Elena was never one to pass up an opportunity to give advice, “Dude. You need to sort out your work-life balance. If I can make a long-distance relationship work and study at Yale, you can find some time to date. I mean if that’s what you want.” 

"It is what I want. I think. It didn't used to be but now... I don't know. Do you want another drink?” 

"No thanks.” Elena chewed her lip. “What changed?"

"What do you mean?" Alex stood up anyway and made for the bar.

Elena followed automatically, continuing the conversation as they went, "What changed to mean that you didn't want to date and now you do?"

"I met someone." Alex plonked her glass on the bar and motioned to the bartender, “same again, please.”

"Oh." Elena leant on the bar next to Alex “Actually, can I get another rum and coke?”

“You can have a coke. I know how old you are now.” 

Elena was mortified and turned away from the bar to avoid the bartender’s knowing look whilst trying to talk through the embarrassment, “So, who did you meet?”

Alex laughed. “It’s my turn to ask a question.” She walked back to the booth and Elena dutifully followed. “When did you figure it all out?”

“Figure all what out?”

“Well. You seem very sure of yourself, with the Yale thing and your… partner. You’re eighteen but, you’re, you know. There.”

“I’m flattered but, trust me, I’m not there. I’m just great at pretending.”

“But you and… Syd, is it? How did that all happen? Like, when did you figure out,” she gestured at the rainbow pin, “you’re not into guys?”

"Erm, there was this guy in High School. His name was Josh. Everyone had a crush on him, even my brother I guess, and we had a bit of a thing, but it never felt right and if it was going to feel right with a guy, it'd be him. And then I allowed myself to think of other possibilities."

As Elena said this, Alex realised just how old she was. Elena was ten years younger than her and still figured things out years ago. But there was so much of what Elena was saying that rang true with her, even though she was so far ahead in life.

"So you're….?"

"Gay? Yeah, I guess so."

"What was it like, coming out?"

"Well, my family's Cuban. And Catholic so it was scary but worked out ok in the end."

"In the end?”

"Yeah," Elena grimaced. "I don't really want to drag it all up, it was a while ago. Anyway, what's this person like?"

"What person?"

"The one who's making you reconsider dating?"

"Oh. I don't really want to talk about it."

"Ok. So hypothetically. What kind of person are you looking to date?" It was as if her Mom's gossip gene which had always been recessive, was suddenly dominant.

“Oh, er, I don’t know.” Alex was thrown. She knew exactly. That person swimming clearly into her mind. “Someone who can hold their own, who’s tough, I guess.”

“Like some super macho guy/?”

“Oh, no. Not a guy.” Alex responded absent mindedly.

“Oh. Ohhhh.” Elena leant forward enthusiastically, her straw nearly going up her nose. “So even though you weren’t hitting on me, you could have been?”

Alex winced at the memory of what was nearly a very awkward situation, “Something like that.”

“Why didn’t you say? You know, us gays have got to stick together.” Elena was struggled to contain her excitement. 

Alex’s jaw was clenched, “It’s complicated.” She managed to force out.

Elena leant back again, sensing that Alex did not share her enthusiasm. “Is this the stuff?”

“You guessed it.” Alex replied, smiling weakly. 

“You do know it’s ok to be gay?”

“Yeah, of course. It’s just. I never really thought about it before. And now.” Alex swallowed, “and now everything’s come all at once.”

“I get that.”

Alex turned and addressed the space over her shoulder. “No you don’t.” She turned to face Elena. “No. You have no idea. You’re a child and you may be some kind of child genius from Yale with a diversity panel friendship group but you just don’t get it.”

Elena was stunned by the sudden change in tone of Alex’s voice. “Hey! I’m not a child. I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped some invisible boundary but I’m just trying to help. You’ve bought me drinks, you’ve taught me to play pool.” Alex laughed at Elena’s sudden confidence in her pool abilities, “kind of.” Elena amended, “Let me be a friend to you now. You never know, I might actually get it.”

“I doubt it.”

“Well. Maybe there’s somebody else out there to talk to.”

“Oh, she’s out there.” Alex muttered, sitting back in her seat.

“See. Now, why don’t you tell me how to get back to campus and then you’ll be free to go and talk to her.” Elena said, standing up and hooking her bag on her shoulder.

Alex drained her glass and thunked it resolutely on the table, "Let's go. I'll walk you back to the campus." She led the way determinedly to the door and Elena followed in her wake.


	3. Let's Enjoy The View

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex starts walking Elena back to campus. Elena finds out more about Maggie and Alex rescues Elena from the less favourable elements of National City.

As they stepped outside, the sun was hidden by clouds giving them actual silver linings and causing the city to have a strange overcast glow.

“Look, I’m sorry. About just now. I didn’t mean to…” Alex cleared her throat.

“It’s ok.” Elena replied. 

“No it’s not. You’re new here. All you did was get lost and you wound up having all my sh… stuff,” Alex corrected, “thrown at you.”

“Seriously. It’s fine.” Elena was emphatic. “I can take. But you know, if you do want to talk, I’m right here. At least until I find campus. 

“Thank-you.” Alex stared straight ahead, thankful that walking outside meant she could do this without meeting the gaze of an overly wise eighteen year old. 

“So. How are you feeling? Any better?”

Alex stopped and turned to look at Elena. She realised their walk from the bar had led them to the park. “Let’s sit down. Enjoy the view.”

The park was surrounded by identical skyscrapers glinting in the small amount of sun that was escaping the clouds. Whatever the view was, the skyscrapers were in the way of it. Elena managed to stop herself from commenting on this as she sat down. The bench was wet. She managed not to comment on this either, hoping it was only rain and sensing Alex was working up to something big. 

“I mean..” Alex began, “I’m gay. And I’m nearly thirty. And I’ve only just figured it out.”

“But that’s ok. Because lots of people are gay. Some of my best Sydnificant others are gay,” Elena replied, grinning and playfully elbowing Alex.

Alex didn’t react and continued to stare ahead. “It’s alright for you. You had it all figured out when you were, what? Fifteen?”

“So you’ve said. But everybody’s different. We’re all on our own-”

“Please don’t say journey,” Alex interrupted.

“Ok. Sorry. So tell me about her,” Elena paused, “or them?”

Alex picked at a loose thread on her cuff and addressed it, rather than Elena. “I don’t know.”

“Is she the cop you talked about before?” Elena said quietly. 

Alex swallowed, “I’ve mentioned her already?”

“Uh, yeah,” Elena reached for Alex’s knee, patting it clumsily as Alex shrunk into herself, covering her face with her hand, “somebody called Maggie. You went really quiet after.”

“Oh.” The memory of the stilted conversation was all too clear. 

“Yeah. It was really awkward. Almost as awkward as when you found out I was eighteen or when you told me to leave,” Elena counted off the moments on her fingers preparing to carry on.

“Whoah, stop!” Alex snapped, “Yes. She is. The cop. Maggie.”

“Ok. Cop Maggie. Anything else?” Elena’s curiosity was piqued.

Alex didn’t bite. “There’s nothing to say. It’s not going to happen.”

Elena slumped back.. “Oh.”

“Yep. She’s made that clear. Apparent I’m too ‘fresh off the boat’.”

Elena nodded supportively before tilting her head in confusion. “Wait, what? Is that a National City specific gay euphemism?”

“No, not that I know of,” Alex laughed. “But what would I know.” The latter added under her breath. 

“So what does it mean?

“It doesn’t matter.”

“No. Go on. There’s definitely more to this story, more to your journey.” Elena added, grinning mischievously. “This is a safe space.”

Alex, who had shuddered at ‘safe space’, swallowed and began, “I asked her to go for a drink. More than once.”

“That’s a good start. I think. Where did you meet her initially?” Elena twisted round to face Alex, lifting her knee to rest her chin on it.

Alex turned to meet Elena’s gaze and cleared her throat, “Erm. We worked this, er, case together.”

Elena’s face lit up, “You’re a cop too! That’s so cool. You know I read that…”

Alex held up her hand to stop Elena’s word explosion. “Not quite. I, erm, work for the government.”

Elena deflated, immediately imagining a dull, paperwork filled job. “Ok so you met at work. And?”

“We were working this case and, er, then another. And we didn’t hit it off at first. We both had different ways of doing things and they kind of came into conflict with each other.”

“Oh. I’ve been there,” Elena smiled, “so when did, you know, not not hit it off?”

“Erm, well I started to realise maybe she wasn’t that bad and, you know, we went for a drink once or twice. As colleagues.”

“In the bar we were just in?”

“Yeah,she was the one who introduced me to that dive.” She chuckled wistfully. “It was cool hanging out. And then we worked this case and the bad guy got away and I thought, well, I needed a drink but she blew me off to go on a date and then they broke up and there was this new case and I thought we could go for a drink then. To, you know, talk about it. And, keep each other company because she’d been dumped and she was all down about it. And she thought I was asking her out. She thought I was gay.”   
Alex paused. “And I panicked because I wasn’t”

“Ok.”

“I’d mean, I’d just never thought about it.”

“Yeah?”

“And then I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. About what she’d said, what she’d thought. I’d only asked her for a drink, I thought, because I was looking out for her; she’d seen some stuff since switching departments and she was dealing with a break up. I just wanted to make sure she was ok. And then I started thinking about how much it hurt when she said she had a date or she told me about her girlfriend or even when I met her girlfriend. And then how happy I was when they broke up. A happiness that came from nowhere and, and it took me by surprise. And at the same time it didn’t and I realised that maybe there was some truth in her assumption.” 

Alex stood up, moving away from the bench.

Elena, again, followed her. “And then what? You asked her out properly?”

“Come on, let’s keep walking.” Alex gestured at the path leading towards the exit. “So, how did you and Syd get together?”

Elena struggled to keep up but managed to pant a response, “Are you changing the subject?”

“Yes. Was it obvious?” Alex was oblivious to Elena’s struggle to keep ahead as she marched determinedly on. 

Elena managed to force words out between hasty breaths, “Not at all.” 

“Humour me.” 

“Wait, can we slow down a sec?” Elena gasped.

Alex slowed her pace to allow Elena to speak, “Sorry. So Syd.” 

“Ok, so, I got involved in this advocacy group and, I was already out then, I wanted to meet other people, people like me.” Elena spoke quickly, keen to share her story, or journey. “There was this girl, God, I can’t even remember her name now, and I had a crush on her and I didn’t know how to ask her out and then, before I could do anything, she mentioned a girlfriend. But then Syd wanted to split their cookie with me and we got talking and I kissed them on a fire escape during a police lock down and we’ve been together ever since.”

Alex struggled to follow Elena’s hurried tale, “So Syd was in this advocacy group too?”

“Yeah. I hadn’t really noticed them before. Until the cookie. And then it all went from there.”

“That sounds like a… ride.” Alex still wasn’t sure she’d followed everything, or what the significance of the cookie was. She considered asking, but decided she didn’t really want to go down that rabbit hole.

“Yeah, I guess. But it’s our story and that makes it special. You’ll have your own story as well. You’ve already got the opening passage. I’m excited to hear the rest of the chapter.”

“You’re not going to stop, are you?” Alex caught Elena’s elbow, gently guiding her into a side street.

“Not now I’ve got a nice metaphor going.” Elena blinked up at the towering buildings either side of them. “You do realise I’m just going to follow you around until I’ve got all the details.”

Alex grimaced, “Ugh.”

“That’s what you get for hitting on a teenager in a bar.”

Alex looked horrified, “I was not hitting on you.”

Elena grinned, “I know, I know. I’m kidding.”  
Alex paled visibly and quickened the pace again muttering. “Please don’t kid about something like that.”

Elena was oblivious of the increasing distance between her and Alex as she grew aware of something tugging on her bag. At first she dismissed it as the wind or the weight of the books finally losing their battle with gravity but when she tried to pull the strap up her shoulder she was met with far more resistance than she was expecting. She turned to see a hooded figure tug hard on her bag and gain possession of it. Alex had wandered ahead, Elena’s joke about hitting on her ringing in her ears, so she was unaware of the battle behind her. Elena was engaged in a determined tug of war over her bags, determined not to lose the books. And her phone. The thief was just as determined. And stronger. 

Elena yelped involuntarily as her grip slid from the straps and brought Alex’s attention back to her. In two steps she was at Elena’s side with her bag in one hand and the thief tucked neatly in a head lock in the other. She threw the bag at Elena, which Elena just about managed to catch, before forcing the thief’s arm up their back. Elena couldn’t hear what Alex muttered in his ear but from the fear that passed across his face, she figured it wasn’t friendly. The thief was released as abruptly as he was caught allowing him to sprint off in the direction he was shoved by Alex.

“Are you alright?” Alex caught hold of Elena’s arm as she stood clinging pale-faced to her bag, “Did he take anything? Did he hurt you?” Alex felt the panic rise, “I’m so sorry. I should have been paying more attention.”

Elena looked up, “That was awesome,” she smiled, the colour returning to her cheeks, “I like to think I could have got the bag back on my own. But I couldn’t have done it with that much style.”

Alex put a hand on Elena’s elbow, guiding her to start walking again, “But you’re sure you’re ok?” her voice was quavery, the adrenaline draining, “I’m so sorry I didn’t spot what was happening.”

“It’s not your fault. It happened so quickly. And it’s not the first time someone’s tried to rob me. This one time, I was riding the bus and fell asleep and someone stole my socks.”

“What?”

“That’s LA’s public transportation system for you. Not much of an incentive to save the planet.”

“I think it’s similar here. I tend to walk. Although, what’s just happened makes me want to get a car.”

“You are not sober enough to be driving,” Elena laughed.

“This is true. Anyway, are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yes. It’ll take more than that to get to me. Anyway. Back to you. What happened next? You realised you liked this cop.” 

“Nothing stops you, does it?”

“Nope. So go on. This cop?”

“Maggie. Yeah.”

“Maggie." Elena smiled, "Does she have a surname?"

“Why do you need to know that?”

“Definitely not so I can see if she’s got Instagram.”

"Don't push your luck,” Alex laughed.

“I figured it was worth a try”

“Don't get too cocky.”

“What can I say? I have been called the lesbian Jesus before.”

“Really. By who?” Alex stopped in surprise.

Elena reddened. “It doesn’t matter. So Maggie. Have you talked to her? You know, since she thought you were gay.”

Alex followed, “Yeah.”

“And?” 

“And nothing. It was a mistake." Alex's throat tightened. "That, back there, in the bar, that was me trying to climb back into the closet.”

“Oh…. Yeah, you can’t do that. Once you’re out, you’re out." Elena looked up at Alex. "And it is worth it.” she finished simply 

“I'm struggling to believe that.”

“I get that. I came out to my Mom and she was amazing. And so was my brother, even my Abuelita was awesome, despite being in love with the Pope. But my Dad, he wasn’t so great and that hurt a lot and I felt as if I’d made this huge mistake but I realised eventually that it was his mistake, not mine. I deserved to be free, to be the real me and he had no right to make me feel that I couldn’t do that.”

Alex suddenly wanted to give Elena a hug, to try and soothe the pain they had both experienced but all she managed was, “I’m so sorry.”

"No it's fine," Elena pushed her glasses up her nose, "it really is. We're all good now. He apologised at his wedding. In front of everyone. And that's my point. Nothing lasts forever. Whatever's happening in your head, however you're feeling, it's not going to last. Soon you'll realise how great you are and how great this part of you is."

"Thank-you." Alex said, turning away so Elena wouldn't see the tears welling in her eyes.

"Did something happen? After you figured things out. I mean, did someone say something to make you feel like, you know, you were wrong." 

Alex swallowed, "I don't know. It always felt like something I should keep to myself, but Maggie was there, and she was so open and supportive, so I went to find her. I knew she had to be the first person I told especially as she'd called me out in the first place and started the whole thing. She was in the bar, the one we were just in, and I told her. I told her she was right. That there was truth in the assumption she'd made."

"How did she take it?"

Alex laughed quietly, "Do you know? She wasn't surprised at all."


	4. I've Done Enough Talking Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex finally delivers Elena back to campus and Elena helps Alex accept her truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay in posting. It was up earlier but someone very kindly pointed out that I had used the wrong pronouns for Syd so I took it down until I had a chance to proof read it properly. Hopefully now, everyone has the correct pronouns but please let me know if there's anything I've missed!

They were running out of street to walk down as the buildings either side of them started to taper off. 

“We need to go this way.” Alex turned off the street bringing them onto a path on the waterfront. They were immediately hit by a brutal gust of wind, flinging their hair into their faces. 

“I’m sorry she was so… uh… dismissive. That must have sucked, that she was so unbothered by your coming out.”

“I guess. But I don’t know, that wasn’t the thing I focussed on, you know? She was kind of smug about everything, even before I told her. When she first thought I was gay and I said I wasn’t. Well, it was if she never believed me. She even said something about the amount of gay women she’s heard say they weren’t gay. All I did was join the parade of women she’s seemingly converted.” The wind gripped her hair again, pulling it over her eyes forcing her to push it back behind her ears. 

“She didn’t convert you. She just helped you realise who you are. In a round-about kind of way.”

“I guess.”

“Anyway, did you ask her out, once you’d told her?”

Alex sighed, “no. I just left.”

“That was your moment.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Alex closed her eyes briefly, wincing at the memory, “It wasn’t really why I was there. I mean it was. But also, we’d both just had really crap days and I just...”

“Needed a drink.” Elena finished. “You could have just tagged it on to the end. Come on. You just took out a robber like it was nothing, you can ask someone out on a date. Does she like you? Like, like you like you?”

“No.”

Elena was momentarily startled by the abrupt response and they walked in silence. But Elena couldn’t sustain a silence for too long. “What makes you so sure she’s not interested? She thought you were gay. There’s always some wishful thinking whenever a lesbian thinks a woman is gay. Unless she’s just the sort who thinks everyone is gay.”

“That wasn’t it.” Alex hoped her blunt response would deter Elena’s questioning. It didn’t.

“So what was it? Is there actually any evidence for her not liking you? Other than what’s in your head.”

“She told me.” Alex said simply. 

“Oh.”

Alex brought their walk to a halt and allowed the dam to open, not trying to hide the anger in her voice, “I came out to her, for her, I guess and then she said I should tell Kara, my sister. And I did. And she, Kara, was surprisingly not great about it. At first.” She   
wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before continuing, staring straight ahead, “I mean, she’s fine now, she was just a bit surprised. But I thought that once I’d done that, Maggie and I would, I don’t know. What’s the point of it all anyway? I don’t feel liberated. I don’t feel like I’m on some great journey. I’m ten years too late to a party that I’ve only just been invited and now I’m stuck.” She stopped and gripped the railings that bordered the water, trying to steady her breathing.

Elena moved closer to her, patting her arm in an attempt at reassurance. “It’s ok. You’re ok.”

“Sorry.” Alex forced out, still blinking back the tears.

“No, it’s cool.” Elena folded her arms, “I still feel I’m missing something though. We’ve just jumped from you coming out to you saying Maggie definitely isn’t interested.”

“Sorry. So, I told Maggie I was gay.” She smiled at Elena, “you know that bit.”

Elena nodded, biting her tongue so she wouldn’t interrupt. 

“And I was excited but scared,” Alex continued, “You know?”

Elena allowed herself to nod.

“And when I told her, it was quick and I panicked and left so the next time I saw her, I apologized and she was so unphased by it. Like this kind of thing happens all the time. Like I felt like a teenager again and she was just so… blasé and I was worried it was just a phase and she told me it wasn’t and I believed her.”

Elena finally allowed herself to speak, “This is your new normal now.”

“That was exactly it and I felt like I got me. That things made sense and then Maggie said I should tell my sister and I did and she was, well, she was Kara and then I thought that was it. That Maggie was helping me to pave the way to us getting together and she just wanted proof that I was serious.”

Elena reached for Alex’s arm again, “But nobody should expect you to prove something like that. And making you out yourself? It’s so unfair.”

“It didn’t feel like that. It just felt like the nudge I needed. I knew that Kara had to be the next person I told.”

“Oh ok. ‘Cos you know you should never feel forced to reveal any part yourself. Figuratively or literally.” They sat down on a bench, both staring out across the water.

“You know, this is the exact same bench Kara was on when she told I was coming out to her.”

Elena looked down the waterfront at the endless row of benches, “Are you sure? Because there are a lot of very similar benches.”

“What can I say? I’ve got a very good memory.”

“Now is your moment to show it off then?”

“By what? Telling you what happened next?”

Elena nodded, grinning mischievously. “Did you ask her out properly? After you told your sister?” Elena stopped smiling, horror passing across her face, “Oh God,” she muttered. “I’m turning into my Mom… or worse, my Abuelita.”

“Not exactly.” Alex grimaced and turned away. “I came to find her, in that bar, and I told her. And then I just grabbed her and kissed her.”

“Wow! I guess that’s one way of asking her out. Although I did pretty much the same thing with Syd. I wrapped my scarf round   
them and everything. They could not get away.”

Alex laughed, unsure whether to be amused or horrified, “At least I didn’t tie her up I guess.”

“At least you didn’t tie her up. What happened when you kissed her?”

Alex sighed and turned back to face Elena, “It was amazing. It was if everything crystalized and my whole life made sense.” She paused and swallowed, “and then she pulled away.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“Why? It’s not your fault.”

“Maybe you should have tried wrapping your scarf around her.”

Alex forced a laugh, “She’s a highly trained cop. If she didn’t want us to kiss, there was nothing I could have done to change that.”

“No, I know. I’m not saying you should have forced her. Consent is so important. Did she say anything, when she pulled away?”

Alex stood up and walked to the barrier at the edge of the water, gripping it and leaving her knuckles white. She was starting to sober up: the fresh air and honest conversation was clearing her head and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to carry on. Elena stood up from the bench and started towards the barrier but could see the tension in Alex even from several feet away. She knew the struggle of coming to terms with your identity but she’d had her Mom and she was fifteen and there wasn’t a Maggie. She’d run out of words and almost thought it would be best to leave Alex there as she didn’t have the words anymore to help her. It would definitely be easier. But then Alex turned to face her, leaning back on the barrier. “She said we were just in different places. And then she said the thing about me being ‘fresh off the boat’.” She smiled weakly. “So I know where I stand. You keep saying I’m brave, but all I did was put some idiot in a headlock. That’s easy. You can be trained for that. But all this,” she gestured around her, “I’m not brave, you know? If I was, I’d be like you. I could have conversations like this without a ton of Scotch inside me and I’d have allowed myself to figure stuff out when I was fifteen. And if I was brave in that way, things would be different.”

Elena moved to the barrier, leaning against it looking across the water. They stood like that, looking in opposite directions, for a while as Elena tried to formulate the best response. Some guys sped past on bikes and obnoxiously splashed through puddles spraying them both with muddy water. Elena leant back across the barrier wincing as she yelled, “Ugh! Such jerks.” 

They both laughed and Alex caught Elena’s elbow as she nearly stepped into the path of yet another cyclist. “Look, I need to get you back to campus which was my job in the first place. Not treat you like some unpaid therapist.”

“No, it’s fine. I want to help.” Elena fell into step with Alex. “Honestly, I think she’s being unfair. She led you on. Made you come out and then, what? Brushed you aside because you took a bit longer than her to figure stuff out.” She stopped in the middle of the path causing a cyclist to swerve dramatically around them. Alex pulled her to the edge of the path as Elena continued talking, on a roll and oblivious to the carnage she was wreaking “And that doesn’t mean you’re not brave. So much of what you’ve said tells me that you’re brave. So brave and it’s not just the robbery thing. You allowed your feelings to exist. It would have been so easy to deny them and you didn’t. And who cares that you’re not fifteen? This is your time, it’s always your time. However old you are.”

Alex stopped trying to hide the tears and allowed them to run down her face. “Thank-you,” she said thickly, “I’m not sure I believe you. But thank-you.” She turned to face Elena, “And don’t be too hard on Maggie. She doesn’t owe me anything. I never should have assumed-” She fumbled for a tissue and blew her nose, “when I figured stuff out and I started to make sense of who I was, I was just so grateful to Maggie for helping me to see who I was, who I am. And yes, maybe it was brave to accept myself, but I was only brave because of her and I was so excited to start living properly, with her at my side. It wasn’t just a concept: she was real and what I felt, what I feel, is so real. More real than anything I’ve felt before. And now it just feels hollow. I’ve torn down a wall for what? So I could be humiliated. She can feel smug that she called that I was gay but now instead of feeling liberated, I just feel pain.”

“You should tell her that.”

“No,” Alex turned away again, “I don’t want to see her again. I can’t see her again and have her tell me that she’s here for me but only as a friend.”

“Do you really want things to end there though? With you feeling all this anger? Maybe there’s more to it. You deserve to tell her how you feel and maybe she’ll be able to tell you more. You being new to the gay thing shouldn’t be a deal breaker and, if it is, you don’t deserve her anyway. You deserve to be happy as your full self. With or without Maggie.”

“All I want is her.” As Alex said this, she felt the knot in her stomach loosen. The truth buried inside her finally heard out loud.

“I know. But you have to accept that she just might not want you. She might not want to share a cookie with you. And the reasons she has for that need to be respected. And if it’s just because you’re ‘too fresh off the boat’, well screw her. She doesn’t deserve you.”

“You’re very wise. So very wise, for a child. Even if I still don’t know what the significance of the cookie is, other than that I want one. Come on,” she started walking again, “Let’s get you back to campus. And find me a cookie.”

Elena laughed and fell into step next to Alex. They turned away from the water, the university buildings were clearly visible a block away. Alex pointed at them, “Do you know where you are now?”

“Yeah, I figured it out as soon as we got to that park.”

“Why didn’t you say?”

“You were in the middle of something. I wanted to make sure you knew you had the space to work it through.”

“Well. I think I’ve done enough talking now so I’m going to let you go. Thank you, Elena, seriously. It’s been a blast.”

“Thank-you for rescuing me and stopping me from wandering around until I die. Or get murdered.”

“Anytime.” Alex started to turn away, towards the direction of her apartment but turned back. “Elena,” she called, “Let’s swap numbers. Just so I know you can find a friendly face, if you need it.”


	5. I think you'd get on well with my sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex introduces an unknowing Elena to her hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes even more liberties with the Supergirl timeline as Kara is fully aware of the identity of Guardian before Alex confronts Maggie. This is deliberate as I wanted to find a way to highlight Kara’s animosity towards Maggie. Apologies! 
> 
> I am also aware that I have deviated somewhat from my posting 'schedule'. This is largely due to being away etc but I am hoping that - after this - I will get back to posting every other Sunday. Hopefully.

A week passed by so quickly after the meeting in the bar that Elena hardly noticed: her days were crammed with classes and lectures and more classes. She hardly had time to think, let alone reminisce about her brief time in the bar with Alex. She was yet to meet anyone as friendly as Alex had been; everyone on the summer programme was her equal or better in terms of intellect but socialising didn’t seem to be their forte and hadn’t found anyone with whom to share any common interests. She hadn’t even found anyone to share a semi-decent conversation with. 

*** 

Alex had been just as busy. There’d been a spate of incidents and things had been kicking off with Guardian so the DEO was manic. She’d been focussing her energies on not thinking about Maggie, so the brain space hadn’t been there to remember Elena. Her evenings, on the couple where she’d not been at work, had been spent sprawled on the couch with a beer, a musical and Kara. She hadn’t told Kara about her time with Elena as she wasn’t sure she was ready to go into the gritty details of how she came to be drunk and chatting up an eighteen-year-old at midday. It wasn’t until she found herself on a protracted coffee run along the waterfront when things had finally quietened down that she remembered Elena and the number she’d hurriedly saved on her phone. Alex hoped she was getting on alright with the programme. Knowing Elena’s nerdy confidence, she imagined she’d be fine; she’d probably made countless friends and they’d all be happily discussing the respective merits of Shakespeare and Plato together. Curiosity was getting the better of her though: she wanted to know how Elena was doing and was also starting to feel the need for more advice. Kara had nothing but animosity for Maggie so any advice she’d given in their brief conversations had been entirely based around the sentiment of ‘you can do better’ and ‘have more ice cream’.

As Alex re-entered the DEO, coffee in hand, she fired off a quick message to the number saved under ‘Elna bar.’

_Hey. How’re you doing? Alex (from the bar)_

Before settling back in at her desk to continue reviewing the hours of security footage she’d just been sent and avoiding Winn’s attempts to pull her into his procrastination.

*** 

Elena had left her phone in the dorm room she now shared with Erica, a silent but seemingly stubborn student from Nebraska. The absence of her phone, she told herself, meant she could get fully absorbed into her classes and the new experiences but all this act of self-sacrifice really meant was that was lonely. Lunch in the cafeteria with her nose buried in her book was a painful reminder of ninth grade. And tenth grade. When she got back to the dorm, Erica was sprawled on her bed, barely glancing up as Elena unlocked and opened the door. As she entered, she saw her phone light up with news of an incoming message. It was Syd. Their sixth of the day. Two years into a relationship and the fear of double texting was long gone. Their messages were sweet and encouraging and made Elena smile but she played down her happiness in fear of the inscrutable Erica. There was another message though from a number she didn’t recognise. It took her a minute to remember who Alex was and even that they’d exchanged numbers. She wasn’t sure if she should respond. It had never occurred to her that their drunken interaction would be followed up and she wasn’t sure if she had the energy after all her classes for any socialising but then again, Alex was the first – and only – person to be genuinely nice to her in the city. Her reply was brief as she was anxious to give Syd a detailed low down on her day.

_Good thanks, you?_

She pinged back to Alex before sneaking out into the corridor to call Syd. 

*** 

Alex hadn’t expected Elena to reply quite so quickly and was hesitant to engage in a back and forth via text but the DEO was quiet and the footage was boring and focussing on her phone stopped Winn from trying to engage her in some online Trivia contest.

_Not bad, thanks. How are you finding NC? Made anymore friends?_

As she pressed send, her sister flew in through the window and landed neatly next to Alex’s desk.

“Busy day?” Kara looked pointedly at the solved Rubik’s cube and phone in Alex’s hand before taking a large sip of the recently purchased coffee.

“Not exactly.” Alex decided not to give her sister the satisfaction of looking sheepish and retrieved her coffee from Kara’s grasp. 

“Sometimes there just aren’t the alien attacks to fend off”

“For you maybe.”

“Hey!” Winn interjected from behind his army of computers, “your sister’s clearly been busy with something, she’s been staring at her phone and ignoring all my requests to play Trivia-buster.”

Kara rolled her eyes at Winn before hissing, “Maggie, still?” at Alex.

“What? No.” Alex defensively grabbed her phone. Then she had an idea, “Kara, how would you feel going to dinner with a stranger in a bar?” Alex figured that introducing Elena to her hero – in a roundabout way – was a good enough way to say thanks and worth trying to explain the situation to her sister. Probably.

Kara flushed red, “Alex! Are you trying to set me up?”

Winn coughed loudly.

“No, no, no. I met this kid in a bar the other day and she’s just here for the summer.”

“A kid?”

“Yeah, I know but hear me out.” Alex held a silencing hand in Kara’s direction, “she’s here on some summer programme from Yale. She’s super smart but she doesn’t know anyone and I thought we could be her friends.”

Kara pulled a chair over to Alex’s desk and addressed Alex in an undertone to avoid Winn’s eavesdropping, “So you’re telling me you found some college kid in a bar and now you want me to be her friend. I know things have been rough, but are you insane?” Kara struggled to keep her voice within the parameters of a whisper.

Alex pulled Kara’s chair closer, “she got lost and wound up in the dive bar. She’s clueless but also super interesting and funny. Come on, it’ll be fun”

“Do you have a crush on her?”

“Ew. No! She’s got a girl--, partner,” Alex corrected. “And she’s pretty much a child. I see us more as her cool aunts.”

“As long as you’re sure this isn’t just some rebound thing?”

“I’m sure.”

***

Elena, once again, was questioning the series of events and decisions that had led to this moment as she pushed the door of the restaurant open. It seemed fancy and she wondered how she was going to afford it. Or get away with only drinking tap water and making an appetiser last an hour. She couldn’t see Alex so decided to – as unobtrusively as she could manage – back out of the doorway. She managed to back into something considerably more solid than the breezy street air she was expecting. She turned to face her obstruction and was met with Alex’s amused grin. The person next to her with gently curled blonde hair and nerd glasses that matched Elena’s must be the sister.

“Elena! You came! It’s good to see you again,” Alex – much to everyone’s surprise – pulled Elena into a hug. “This is Kara, my sister. Kara, Elena. Elena, Kara.”

Kara smiled broadly and pulled Elena into her second surprise hug of the evening. “Nice to meet you. Alex has told me,” she glanced ruefully at her sister, “some stuff about you.”

As Elena was released from the hug, she was able to properly look at Alex’s sister. There was something familiar about her, as if they’d already met but she couldn’t place where. She struggled to process what was going on; the only coherent thought she managed in that moment was how small she felt. Both Alex and Kara were taller than her and intimidatingly athletic. She opened and shut her mouth – goldfish like – and hoped somebody would take charge as she was beginning to imagine herself trapped in the doorway forever.

“Shall we head in?” Alex came to her rescue. Again.

The waiter seated them at a quiet table in the corner and Elena found herself sat opposite the two sisters like a bizarre job interview. She tried to think of a configuration that would be better. Other than two separate restaurants.

“So, you didn’t get lost this time?” Alex was filling their glasses from water from the pitcher the waiter had brought over, assuming the maternal role.

Kara’s suppressed giggle told Elena that Alex had filled her in on bits of their first meeting. She willed the blush she felt forming at her collar to disappear and forced a giggle to match Kara’s, “Not this time. Someone told me about this thing called Google maps. I don’t know if you know it?”

Alex laughed. And then there was a silence that they all filled by taking measured sips of water. Elena was grateful for the reappearance of their waiter even though she’d barely glanced at the menu.

Alex registered the flash of panic in Elena’s face as she read the prices on the menu, “Don’t worry.” She said, “This is on us.”

Kara looked quizzically at her sister who was apparently now funding college students as well as befriending them.

Elena took in the range of facial expressions before her, unsure of how to proceed. She didn’t want to be the freeloader Kara clearly thought she was but she had no idea how she was going to pay; even an appetiser seemed beyond her price range. She didn’t want to be explaining to her Mom why she’d used the emergency credit card this time.

“Yeah, of course.” Kara smiled through slightly gritted teeth, “We both remember how broke you are when you’re in college.”

Elena breathed out in relief and read the names of the food, not just the prices and they placed their orders.

“So, Elena, how does National City compare to Yale?” Kara made a point of showing off the scraps of information Alex had deigned to give her.

“Yeah, er, yeah. It’s good.” Elena nodded emphatically, talking to the wall behind Kara, “it’s super busy, being in the city. Very different to Yale but I mean, I’m from LA so I’m used to big cities. And,” she glanced at Alex, “I’ve figured google maps out so I don’t get lost. As much.”

“I remember what it’s like, moving to a big city. We grew up in Midvale and it’s so quiet out there.” Kara was trying desperately to be friendly enough for Elena to actually meet her eye. “When I moved here, it was such a shock.”

“What made you want to move here?” Elena was slowly warming to Alex’s obscenely perfect sister. Even if she was still struggling to place where she recognised her from. Meanwhile, Alex was leaning back in her chair taking silent pleasure in having introduced Elena to her hero. Even if she didn’t actually know it.

“To be honest, I’m not sure. Alex was living here.”

“And she just can’t function without me,” Alex interrupted.

“No, I mean,” Kara grinned, “kind of. But I also wanted to be a journalist and there wasn’t much material in Midvale.”

“You’re a journalist?” Elena struggled to withhold the excitement from her voice.

Kara grimaced, “well trying to be.”

“Her boss is a jerk.” Alex had been following the conversation, looking to join in whilst idly sipping the wine the waiter had silently brought over.

Kara looked disapprovingly at her sister, “he’s not that bad.” She turned to face Elena. “He’s just picky. It’s good though. It pushes me to be better.”

“Who do you write for?”

“Erm, CatCo.”

“Seriously! That’s awesome. I’ve read so many of their articles on Supergirl. Didn’t Cat Grant name her?”

Alex spluttered into her glass as Kara suddenly became very interested in her napkin, “Erm yeah,” Kara squeaked, “Metropolis had Superman so I think Cat saw the opportunity and ran with it.”

“And James took those cool photos,” Alex added.

“Don’t you think it’s ridiculous that Superman is a man but Supergirl is just a girl.” Elena had found her stride, “and the skirt and the hair. Like, I think she’s awesome and yes, I do have one of James Olsen’s photos on my wall,” It was Kara’s turn to splutter, “but she’s just part of the system.”

“The system?” Alex and Kara said in unison.

“Yeah. The system where women just serve the male gaze.”

Kara blinked at Elena, mentally rehearsing the rant she was going to give Alex afterwards.

Alex realised it was going to have to be her job to save the car crash that was unfolding, “But she does a lot of good. You even said in the bar how you admired her for what she was doing for feminism,” she glanced at Kara, “it’s not like she just dances round in a small skirt. She grabs planes out the sky.”

Elena flushed red and picked at her sleeve, “Sorry. I spend a lot of time on the internet.” She said weakly.

“I can tell,” Kara muttered, too quiet for Elena to hear but Alex shot her a warning glance.

“Elena. How are your classes? Have they started properly now?” Alex smiled encouragingly at Elena hoping she wouldn’t say anything too divisive.

“Err… they’re good. I mean we didn’t get much of an orientation so it’s a bit of a whirlwind but, yeah, they’re good. Lots to learn.” Elena poured herself some more water, spilling it on the table as she did. She decided to keep talking whilst mopping up her ineptitude with her sleeve, “I’ve got this roommate and I’m so glad she’s only my roommate for the summer, not the full year.”

Kara raised an eyebrow, “Oh. How come?”

“I don’t know. I always felt that I’d be the one to be the annoying roommate – at least that’s what my family always said – but I was lucky last year. But Erica, she’s something else.”

“In what way?” Alex interjected, to stop Kara muttering anything Elena being the problem.

“She’s from Nebraska – not that that’s a bad thing – but that’s literally the only thing I know about her and that’s only because they put our state flags on our door room doors. That and she apparently hates me.”

“Has she actually said or done anything though?” Kara asked.

“No. That’s the thing. She doesn’t say or do anything. She never seems to leave. She just sits there and silently judges me.”

Kara was unconvinced, “are you sure you’re not just paranoid?”

“I mean maybe. But her judginess seems to permeate everything.”

Alex laughed, trying to ease the tension that was seemingly building between Elena and her sister, “You know, I had this roommate in college and she was awful. Like personal hygiene awful.” She paused to allow the waiter to deliver their appetisers,

“Thank-you.” She smiled at the waiter before turning back to the table, “ok so that was a bad moment for the food to arrive considering the story I’m about to tell.”

Elena gradually allowed her shoulders to relax below the level of her ears and felt her heart rate slow as she listened to Alex’s college horror story of toenail clippings and deodorant-phobia. Despite her enthusiastic introduction, Elena knew that Kara was here with some reluctance and that Elena hadn’t done much to win her over. Objectively, it was a weird situation, meeting someone in a bar then finding yourself having dinner with them and their sister. It was made all the weirder when Elena recalled the last conversation she’d had with Alex and how deep it had gotten. She’d thought that Alex was just using her to offload, safe in the knowledge that they’d never see each other again and yet, here they were.

Alex finished the story and Elena mirrored the disgusted face Kara was making, deciding that must be the appropriate response as she’d zoned at the end of Alex’s tale.

“And now I think it’s time for a change of subject.” Kara stated. “Alex told me you have a girlfriend.”

“Uhhh… Syd’s my SO. They’re gender non-binary, so we wanted a term that was more acceptable and inclusive than girlfriend.” Elena had lost count of all the times she’d said this. Mostly to her family.

Alex looked embarrassed on Kara’s behalf and muttered, “Kara. I did tell you all of this. The whole pronoun thing.”

“I’m sorry. So, Syd. What are they like?” Kara asked, over-emphasising the correct pronoun.

Elena was slightly taken aback by the abrupt change in conversation. It was clearly a family trait Alex had done the exact same thing the first time they’d met, “Erm. They’re great. We’ve been together a couple of years, we met doing advocacy work, they’re still in LA but we’re making the long-distance thing work but hopefully we’ll get a place together when we graduate.” She listed off and added, “How about you, is there anyone in your life?”

Alex laughed but Kara just looked down into her glass.

“Sorry.” Elena said quickly, “You don’t have to say, if it’s too personal.”

Alex kept laughing, “No it’s fine. Kara,” she raised her eyebrows in her sister’s direction, “is extremely popular but she’s mostly too sweet to notice that most men are in love with her.”

“Alex!” Kara sprayed her drink across the table.

“Sorry Kara but it’s true.” Alex turned back to Elena, “but Kara usually manages to find the one guy who’s not in love with her and that’s the guy she decides to have a crush on.”

As Elena watched in amused bewilderment, Kara joined in with the laughter, “Hey, Alex. Shall we discuss your love life?”

Kara was still giggling but Alex paled in response, “I think we’ll leave that one.” She looked across at Elena, silently pleading with her to steer the subject away from that particular area. She also kicked Kara under the table for good measure.

Elena clocked Alex’s determined stare and frantically sifted through conversation material for something appropriate. She finished upon, “How’s work. Everything ok in the government? Have you heard about Guardian? He seems to be a bit of a problem.”

Kara shot a warning glance at Alex, worrying how much Alex had already said. Elena sensed she’d managed to put her foot in it. Again.

“Erm” Alex took another sip of wine, pondering how to respond, “The government’s fine, busy as usual. And you don’t need to worry about Guardian. I can assure you that he’s not the problem.”

“We just need to persuade certain people of that.” Kara said pointedly.

“I told you, I spoke to Maggie.” Alex hissed.

“Well maybe you ought to speak to her again.” Kara hissed back.

Elena simply sat and watched, intrigued, peering over the glass that hadn’t yet made it to her lips.

“I’m not sure I really want to speak to her right now. I think she got the message anyway.”

“Ok. But she needs to know. She has to back off. She needs to stop this ridiculous one-woman crusade.”

“Says you.” Alex suddenly remembered Elena, who was really starting to enjoy watching them, “anyway, let’s not do this now.”

She addressed Elena, “Kara has a lot of feelings when it comes to justice and catching bad guys.”

“The right bad guys.” Kara corrected, “It’s important, for journalism, that things are reported right.”

“Oh yeah, totally.” Elena agreed.

Fortunately at that moment the waiter brought their main courses over leading the conversation away from coded work politics to how good the pasta was. Which it should have been for $30 a plate, Elena couldn’t help thinking.

The evening gradually eased to a conversation that could almost be said to have rapport. Kara eventually seemed to warm to Elena or at least recognised the comedic value of taking naïve college kid out to dinner. Kara and Alex filled Elena in on enough of National City’s recent events to make Elena wonder why she was spending the summer there. Elena returned the favour by spelling out the importance of pronouns and introducing them to her highlights of queer culture all without mentioning Alex’s burgeoning gayness.

After they paid the bill, Kara murmured something going to meet a guy called Mon-El which caused Alex to roll her eyes and left her walking Elena back to campus.


	6. Maybe a cool aunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex walks Elena back to campus and gives her the latest on Maggie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I've played around with the Supergirl timeline as - in the series - Alex comes out to her Mom at Thanksgiving but in this timeline it's still the summer when she tells her. This is just to give Alex more to open up about!

Elena and Alex turned left out of the restaurant door, having both hugged Kara goodbye. They shoved their hands in their pockets in an attempt to ward off the sudden chill.

“Who’s Mon-El?” Elena broke the silence.

Alex scuffed her foot on the curb, “He’s just some guy who, er, started recently at Kara’s work.”

“You don’t approve?”

“He’s just a bit of an idiot. I think she could do better.”

Elena laughed, “We always think that about sibling’s relationships.”

“That’s true.”

“Anyway, thank-you for inviting me this evening.”

“Thank-you for coming,” Alex replied, “I hope it wasn’t too weird.”

“I mean, it was a bit at first. I did think your sister hated me for most of the evening.”

“Yeah, sorry about that, I don’t quite know what was going on there.”

They walked in silence for the next block. The streetlights were reflected in the glass of the surrounding buildings almost dazzling them. The cars flew past providing a busy soundtrack to their silent stroll.

“Kara seems to like Maggie as much as you like this Mon-Ell,” Elena said eventually, “I take it she knows everything?”

“Oh, yeah. She’s definitely not team Maggie. They met recently, properly, and it was more than a bit awkward.”

“More awkward than just now, in the restaurant?”

“Oh definitely.” Alex grimaced, “you could have cut the atmosphere with a laser. Maggie had no idea, nobody did. Kara was just shooting her evil glances all night.”

“Poor Maggie.”

“No. Not poor Maggie.” Alex asserted.

Elena’s eyebrows shot up. “You’ve had a change of heart.”

Alex smiled, “I know. It’s all thanks to you. My wise-child-friend.”

“It is?”

“Yeah. Bumping into you in the bar… it was the best thing that could have happened to me.”

“It was?” Elena was thrilled

“Seriously. I was just wallowing in my own self-pity and regret. And getting drunker and drunker and worse and worse at playing pool.”

“Well I must have helped you to feel better about your pool-playing abilities.”

“Oh, you definitely did that. But seriously, all the stuff you said about needing to be ok with who I am and how Maggie treating me like that wasn’t fair. I needed to hear that. My sister – Kara – she just did the typical sympathy thing. You know ‘there, there. I’m proud of you. Let’s watch The Wizard of Oz because it’s my favourite movie even though I know you’d much rather watch The Shining’.”

Elena pulled a face, “Ugh. The Wizard of Oz? Really? I thought she seemed cool.”

“She is. Very cool. She has her reasons for liking that movie, even if it is stupid.”

“Did it help? Watching The Wizard of Oz?”

“No. Not really.” Alex sighed, “That’s why I ended up in the bar. Scotch and pool is more my go-to remedy..”

“Now, I remember that.” Elena stared up at the buildings around them. “Are there any buildings here with fewer than twenty floors?”

“One or two. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I needed something a bit tougher than a 1930s musical. Even if its use of colour was,” Alex shrugged and held her fingers up as air quotes, “‘revolutionary’.” 

“Well, I’m glad I helped. Even if it was a completely unexpected situation. Thanks for giving me directions. At least you didn’t murder me and you stopped anyone else from murdering me.”

“You know, that neighbourhood isn’t anywhere near as bad as you think it is.” Alex grabbed Elena’s arm, “Whoah stop!” she exclaimed, yanking Elena away from the curb as she almost stepped into the path of a van, “you seem to be more at risk here, you know, with your minimal awareness of traffic. Round the bar, it’s left deliberately a bit run-down so people won’t want to stay. To make it safe for… you know.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Yeah.” Alex hesitantly let go of Elena’s arm as they made their way across the street.

“I was never going to be murdered.”

“Not even close.”

“Although,” Elena began, “I did almost get robbed.”

“We’d left the neighbourhood by then,” Alex said pointedly.

“Oh.” Alex suddenly felt that the topic had run its course or at least she was reluctantly to inadvertently reveal any more prejudices. “Kara seems to be quite the fan of Supergirl.”

Alex’s heartrate quickened. “Uhhh, yeah. You could say that. I think she just doesn’t like it if she feels Supergirl’s significance is questioned, you know.” She searched for the words, “because, er, she works for Cat Grant and she was so important in helping Supergirl’s image.” 

“I get that. Loyalty is important and I’m guessing that it wasn’t easy to get that job. And Cat Grant is one of the good ones.”

Alex laughed at Elena’s confident evaluation of National City’s journalism.

“But I’m sorry if I upset her.” Elena paused, “People often say I’m a bit much and I’m starting to see where they’re coming from. But I just can’t help finding flaws. Sorry I made things awkward, I do it with everything.”

“Including me?”

“I mean… At first maybe but now that I don’t think you’re hitting on me, I see you as a cool older sister. Although you’ve already got a younger sister and I don’t think she’d like being usurped by me so maybe more of a cool aunt.”

“Amazing!” Alex’s grin was huge.

“Sorry, I mean you’re obviously not old enough…”

“No, don’t apologise,” Alex said still grinning, “That’s the best thing anyone’s said to me in ages. And I’m glad you see me as an aunt, not, “she raised an eyebrow in Elena’s direction, “someone who’s hitting on you. That’s the vibe I’ve been aiming for although I’m not sure it’s always worked as you seem to be the one taking care of me.”

“Don’t say that. You’ve been so helpful! You rescued me when I got lost, stopped me from getting robbed, bought me dinner!”

“I guess. Maybe I am that cool aunt after all,” Alex laughed quietly through her nose, “Is that what you did with your roommate? List her flaws?”

“She hasn’t given me the chance even for a conversation, let alone a character assassination.”

“What about Maggie’s flaws?”

“Oh, I could write a book on those. At least from what you’ve said but I don’t think it’s my place to say, You on the other hand…”

They’d reached the campus. It was just as brightly lit as the city with numerous students milling around in various stages of sobriety. “Don’t you want to go? See if there’s a frat party you can crash?” Alex gestured at the chaos around them with her hand still in the pockets of her jacket. 

Elena looked horrified, “People actually do that?”

“Well, when I was in college they did. I certainly did.”

“College Alex is evidently very different to college Elena.”

“College Alex is very different to present day Alex.” 

“I figured that.”

“Anyway,” Elena continued, “that really isn’t my thing and besides,” she sat down on a nearby wall, “I want to hear the latest.”

Alex sat down next to Elena with false reluctance. The wall was damp but she chose not to say anything; she was secretly pleased Elena was so keen for her to talk. “Maggie.” She began.

“That’s the one.”

“I’ve been trying to forget her name.” 

“Clearly that’s going well.”

“It’s difficult, you know? Especially since our paths keep crossing.”

“How’s that been?”

“Not great. She kept acting like nothing happened, like it was no big deal and we could just carry on being friends.”

“Oof,” Elena winced.

“But,” Alex coughed, “I don’t think she even knows that was what she was doing.” Her throat tightened, “I don’t think she had any idea how important she is, was, to me and how much her actions were tearing me apart.” 

“Did you tell her any of this or did you just go back to the bar?”

“No, I did… I did talk to her.”

“Woooo…” Elena’s cheer was far too loud, even by college standards and caused Alex to shrink down even further inside her jacket in a futile attempt to avoid the puzzled glances of the students around them.

“Shhh…” Alex hissed, glancing around them, “people are staring.”

“Who cares!” Elena cheered again, punching the air. 

“Stop!” Alex grabbed Elena’s arm. “Have you been drinking again? Did you manage to order wine without me realising?”

Elena wasn’t even embarrassed. “Nope, I have not been drinking. I’m just excited! When did this all happen?”

“Only yesterday.” Alex swallowed, “I haven’t told Kara yet.”

“Oh. That’s why you steered the conversation around your love life back there.”

“Yep.”

“Are you going to tell her?”

“Oh, yeah, definitely but, back there wasn’t the moment, you know? She doesn’t know how much I talked to you and I think she’d be pretty annoyed that I talked to a stranger in a bar instead of her.” 

“I’m not a stranger. Anymore.” Elena added.

“I don’t think she’d quite agree.”

“Yeah, I think I might need a bit more time with her,” Elena laughed. “She’ll soon see you made the right choice talking to me though.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Alex mumbled, “But it was the right call.”

“Anyway.”

“Yes. Anyway.” Alex took a breath. “I was working this case. You know all that stuff to do with Guardian?”

Elena nodded.

“So I was working a case and, and so was Maggie. She was doing the cop stuff. I was doing the… other stuff. And I needed to talk to her because, well, we were going about things very differently, you know? Anyway, I had to talk to her and, and I told her to back off like, she was going about things – the case – all wrong and she needed to know why but I couldn’t tell her because, well, it’s classified. And then,” Alex’s voice caught in her throat, “she said I should tell her because we’re friends. And, and I just couldn’t,” Alex swallowed, “I let loose.”

“You did? That’s awesome!” Elena said excitedly. “See. I told you you were brave.”

Alex smiled, “I’m not sure it was bravery… or just anger. I just couldn’t take how much she’d hurt me anymore and she just had no idea… Saying we’re friends…”

“What did you say exactly?”

“Erm,” Alex hesitated. “I just said the stuff I said to you. And the stuff you said to me, you know? The whole chronology of her saying I liked her, me realising it was true, coming out for her and then her rejecting me. And all the pain that’s come of it all.”

“Ah.” Elena murmured, “How did she take it?”

“I don’t really know,” Alex shrugged, “I just said my piece and left.”

Elena nudged Alex playfully, “Classic Alex.”

“I mean.” Alex pointed a finger, “We were also in a parking lot surrounded by cops. It wasn’t exactly the moment for a lesbian show down.”

“Ha!” Elena exclaimed “A lesbian show down. Love it! You know, I’ve never actually had one of those.” 

“That is actually very surprising.”

“I know!” Elena declared, “I’d definitely win if I had one, should the opportunity arise.”

“I don’t doubt it. But you and Syd, you sound like you’re pretty solid.”

“Oh, my lesbian show down wouldn’t be with Syd. We’ve only ever had like two arguments and they’ve both been about stupid stuff and have been about stupid stuff and have been fixed with a trip to Benihana.” 

“What?” Alex ‘s eyes widened. 

“It’s not just a meal, it’s an experience.” Elena announced dramatically.

“I know what Benihana is. I just didn’t realise it had the power to fix arguments.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“So how did it work?” Alex asked.

“It was our first Valentines and it’s a long and, now I think about it, quite boring story. But we ended up in Benihana and we now use it to mend all our problems.” 

They were interrupted by a group of frat boys who sprinted past in nothing but their boxers leaving a strong stench of beer in their wake.

Alex sighed and pointed after them. “Now that makes me miss college.”

“Really?” Elena’s disgust was more than evident. “they’re literally the worst thing about college.”

Alex chuckled, “I think you and I are going to have very different college experiences.”

“I’m now very curious, and a little bit concerned, about your college experience.”

“Oh,” Alex nodded, “you should be. I’ve done a lot of growing up since then though. Whereas you,” she nudged Elena, “you seem to have done a lot of growing up before you even got to college.” 

“I guess so!” Elena grinned, “My Mom’s always said that. Anyway,” she took a breath, “What are you going to do now?”

Alex didn’t hesitate, “Go home?”

“Well yes. But no. I meant about Maggie.”

Alex addressed the floor, her voice hesitant, “I don’t know. I’ve heard Benihana can fix a lot of problems. Maybe I should take her there.” 

“Really?”

“Alex looked at Elena, “it was a joke.” 

“Oh. Of course.” Elena reddened slightly.

“But, in answer to your question, I really don’t know. I want to say that’s it; I’ll never see her again and just move on.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

“But I want her to stay in my life even thought I know that that’ll hurt.”

“Especially if she starts seeing someone new.” Elena interjected.

“I don’t even want to think about that.”

“Are you hoping she’ll change her mind?”

“About me?” Alex paused. “No… yes… maybe. But I also just want to be her friend.”

“But you said you didn’t want to be her friend.”

“No. I said she wasn’t treating me like a friend. It’s just, I’m not sure I’m ready for her to be out of my life after she was so…” Alex searched for the right word, “pivotal, you know?”

“You can’t view her friendship as some sort of consolation prize. It could end up really holding you back.”

“I see that. But I’m not sure it would. She’s the only person I know who really gets it. Other than you, “Alex patted Elena’s knee and stood up, “now, where’s your dorm?”

“It’s over there.” Elena gestured in the direction of a brick building with its lights still on. “but you can’t come in, it’s strictly students only.”

“Oh no! I wasn’t trying to invite myself in. I just wanted to make sure you’ll be ok from here. You don’t need anymore directions?”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“No, it’s just that it’s late and no doubt you have classes tomorrow and I’ve got work.”

Elena stood up, looking Alex in the eye, “You need to let her go. She’s not the one for you. But the one for you is out there, waiting. You’ve just got to be patient.”

Alex crumpled, “I just imagined this entire future.”

“I know you did and that’s ok. And you never know, that future could still become your reality but you can’t put all your hopes in a Maggie-shaped box. It’s not healthy. She’s the first person you’ve had actual, real, feelings for but she’s not gonna be the last.”

Alex sat down again, “I told my Mom,” she announced.

Elena sat back next to her, “you did?”

“I did.” Alex nodded, smiling proudly.

“How did she take it?”

“Better than me.”

“Aww, that’s so great, so, so great.” Memories of telling her father briefly clouded Elena’s enthusiasm but she pushed them back, genuinely thrilled for Alex. “How do you feel now?”

“Actually ok, you know?” Alex nodded and smiled, “It seems real now. It’s more than just some fleeting crush. This is me and my sister knows, my mom knows. The people who matter the most know and I’m ok with that. I’m starting to feel ready for it all.”

“That’s amazing! And you are read, you are so much more ready than you think you are. You’re real and you’re ready.” 

Alex felt the tears form and blinked hard to stop them from falling, “Thanks,” she said, her voice thick, “Really, thank-you.”

“Anytime,” Elena grinned. “Now, I better go,” she turned towards her dorm before adding, “Thanks again, for tonight, and for dinner.”

“You’re welcome.” Alex pulled Elena into an abrupt hug, “take care.”

“And you.” 

They separated, Elena heading to her dorm and Alex to her home.


	7. This is all down to you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex has some exciting news for Elena

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit later posting this than I'd hoped - life and work slightly got in the way!

Alex and Elena had kept in contact despite the awkward dinner with Kara. After Elena’s comment about her being like a cool aunt, Alex had made a point of checking in on her: seeing how classes were, whether had Erica spoken yet, if Syd was coming to visit. Elena was grateful for the texts; she still didn’t feel settled despite dedicated time in the library and concerted attempts at friend-making in the cafeteria. When she told her Mom about her new – she avoided the word only – friend Alex, she consciously didn’t let on that her friend was nearly thirty and had nothing to do with the summer programme. Syd, on the other hand, knew all about Alex and Maggie and the bar and was keenly dropping hints about being introduced on their upcoming visit to N. C. Elena was beginning to think Syd was only visiting so they could meet Alex and was worried she may have over sold her or, even worse, end up being over shadowed by her new friend. 

Elena had just got off the phone with her Mom: a conversation which largely consisted of her making noises of agreement as her Mom listed off all the things that could kill her in National City and telling her that her Abuelita was threatening to send her rainboots to wear in the shower as she didn’t think flip-flops offered enough protection. After 45 minutes, she was finally able to end the call and she lay back on her bed, waiting for Syd to Facetime. Erica was absent, no doubt off with her surprisingly large group of friends. At least they wouldn’t be populating the dorm room and – deliberately or not – rubbing Elena’s friendless-ness in her face. Her daily Facetimes with Syd were – at times – the only things keeping her going long enough to stop her from running back to LA. Their gentle but sincere encouragement gave Elena just about enough strength to hold it together. That and the proximity of her ‘cool aunt’ who – she suspected would be more than willing to drop everything should Elena ever need her. 

***

As Elena lay waiting, impatiently in her dorm room, Alex was sat at her desk, figures scrolling intensely across her computer screen. She was tired after a busy day at work – which she had passed through in an almost dreamlike state – but now that the office was empty, her mind pulsed with activity. She needed to tell someone, but who? For the first time in a while, the thoughts racing through her head didn’t scare her or overwhelm her, they excited her. She was actually… happy. She wasn’t quite sure if this new feeling should be allowed to take residence or if it was a temporary visit but she was going to make the most of it for however long it lasted. This feeling, it couldn’t be kept to herself. Kara was her first thought, as always, but she suspected Kara’s inherent protectiveness would cast a shadow over recent events and this desire to protect Alex’s feelings would mean she’d urge caution. Her Mom was her next thought. Their recent conversation had brought them closer, she felt, and she was due to call her. But then she played it through in her head: her Mom’s excitement , making it into something bigger than it needed to be just wasn’t what she needed. Even if it was huge. Her eye caught the Rubik’s cube on the desk opposite. Winn? That was ridiculous… She slumped back into her chair, grinning but frustrated, anxious to share her news. Then she remembered her nerdy – and nosy – protégé from the bar. Her phone buzzed making her jump but it was only Kara, suggesting they meet outside in half an hour. As she went to swipe the message away, she opened up her recent contacts and her eyes fell upon _Elna bar._ Of all the people in her phone, she seemed like the person most likely to understand. And she was likely to not be doing anything since class had now finished and would reply quickly. 

*** 

Elena was still staring at her phone when it pinged to announce the arrival of a message,

_She kissed me._

Elena sat up in surprise, smacking her head on the shelf by her bed. Her shock flicked to excitement as she realised the message was from Alex, and not Syd and was grateful this was one of the rare occasions Erica wasn’t around as she carefully touched her forehead, relieved not to see blood. The thrill she felt at Alex’s text would probably have been worth a slight blood sacrifice though. 

**Who?** She replied immediately, her curiosity piqued but she hoped she already knew the answer. 

_Maggie._ Alex’s response came back almost as soon as the message was marked as read.

Despite being alone, Elena gasped, grinning with surprised delight. At that moment, Syd called. 

“Hey, Syd. I love you. But can I call you back?” 

“Err, sure. Is everything ok?” Elena could clearly see the concern in Syd’s pixelated face. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine. It’s just, you know Alex?” 

“Yeah?” 

“She just texted to say Maggie kissed her.” Elena’s voice approached an almost inaudible frequency. 

Syd’s gasp was even louder than Elena’s, “Oh Em Gee. Go. Find out everything that happened. And keep me posted.” 

“Of course. Thank you. I love you.” Elena hesitated, her thumb hovering over the end call button. 

Syd broke the pause, “I love you too. Now go!” 

Elena ended the call and immediately swiped back to her messages. 

**Really? What happened?** She fired off to Alex and then stared at her phone, waiting for the dots to become text. She didn’t have to wait long. 

_She came to my apartment. With pizza. And kissed me._

**Pizza and kisses?!?!**

_I know!_

**What happened though? I want details. Did you just open the door and she leaped** **on you or…**

_Not exactly._

**So…?**

_There was this thing at work and she got shot so I had to sew her up._

Elena had even more questions about Alex’s job. She knew cops could get shot but didn’t know that government officials were around in the same situations. And was Alex a Doctor? Why – of all the medical professionals in National City – was Alex the one to sew her up? Alex was forever going to be a woman of mystery: with each time she opened up, her confessions raised more questions. But now wasn’t the time to delve deeper int the riddle of Alex.

**What? Is she ok?** Elena sent back.

_Yeah. She’s fine._

**Phew.**

_Anyway, she got shot and wound up having a kind of carpe diem moment._

**A carpe diem moment?**

_She seized the day._

**I know what it is… I’ve seen Dead Poet’s Society.**

_Haha._

**So… she came to your apartment just to kiss you.**

_Pretty much._

**Did she say anything?**

_Yeah. She had this whole speech prepared._

**Oh wow.**

_Wow indeed._

**She Alex-ed you!**

Maggie was a person Elena could not get sussed, Alex had made her out to be some super tough, devil-may-care bad-ass cop and she was suddenly making big romantic speeches. She felt a warm glow spread through her for Alex, for who – it would seem – the pain of her struggle had all been worth it.

_What do you mean?_

**You always struck me as a big speech giver… It takes you a while to get going but when you do…**

_Oh really? Do you not remember how you made me move?_

**True.**

_I’m more of a lunger._

**Oh yeah, of course. Did she have a scarf?**

_What?_

**Nevermind. So. What was her speech?**

Elena heard voices in the corridor outside, bringing her back to reality. She sat up, trying to fix herself in a nonchalant pose but the voices continued moving away down the corridor, away from her. She relaxed back into her bed as her phone buzzed again.

_About how she realised life was too short – because she was shot – and that she shouldn’t hold back from being with the person she wants to be with._

***surprised face***

_I know!_

**Are you making this up? This sounds a lot like your fantasy.**

_I know! I’m not sure that I’m not dreaming._

**And then she kissed you.**

_She said ‘we should kiss the girls we want to kiss and I just want to kiss you’_

**Man, I need to up my game.**

_Hey! So, That’s the benefit of being nearly 30, not 15._

**What did you do?**

_When she kissed me?_

**Yeah.**

_I kissed her back._

**_Good. And then what?_ **

_We stopped. Eventually. And then we ate the pizza and watched a movie._

**What movie?**

_Some stupid horror thing._

**Not The Shining?**

_I would never describe The Shining as stupid_

**True. Did she stay over?**

_No... Should she have done?._

**Nope. I mean, you can do whatever you and Maggie both want.**

_Ok._

**Are you going to see her again?**

_I hope so._

**Have you told Kara?**

_Not yet._

**You told me before Kara?**

_Yes. You’re the lesbian Jesus. Who else was I going to tell?_

**Oh.**

_You’re the one who made own up to my feelings. I told Maggie how I felt because of you. I’ve been so happy and desperate to tell someone and I saw your number and knew it had to be you. You’d be the person who’d really get it._

**I’m just glad you’re happy. I always knew you had it in you.**

_Well, you made me see that. This is all down to you._

Elena lay back on the bed, brimming with happiness for Alex and pride that she helped it all to happen. She found Syd on facetime and impatiently waited for them to answer. 

*** 

As soon as she’d pressed send, Alex pulled her jacket on and headed for the exit of the DOC. She was joined by Kara who was buttoning up her shirt over the Supergirl emblem. 

“Hey!” Kara swung her arm around Alex’s shoulder, “Who are you texting? It better not be Maggie.” 

“No! It’s actually not. I was just, erm, checking in on Elena” 

“Ugh,” Kara rolled her eyes, “the obnoxious college kid.” 

“Come on! She’s not that bad.” 

“Yeah, but you’re not her Mom.” 

“I know… I just like to keep an eye on her.” 

“Well, how about I keep an eye on you? What about another movie night? I promise not to eat all the Popstickers.” 

Alex hugged her back, “You know what, that sounds great. There’s something I want to talk to you about as well. It’d be good to catch up.” 

“Oohh… What is it? You know I know you’re gay, right?” 

Alex laughed and they separated to get through the revolving door. Maggie was waiting outside and as Alex emerged from the doorway, she found herself pulled into a tight hug accompanied by a gentle kiss on the lips, leaving Kara slack jawed behind them.


	8. Two Couples Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Syd visits National City and Elena finally gets a double date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elena's time in National City is coming to an end so I think having her and Maggie finally meet is a nice way to pull it all together. This is going to be the last chapter - at least for now - as I feel the idea has run its course and I've already taken far too many liberties with the Supergirl timeline! Thank you to everyone who's read it. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I never envisioned it would get this long!!

Elena looked up excitedly as the bus pulled into the station. She had been reading but she leapt to her feet, shoving the textbook into her bag. Predictably Syd was the last one off the bus, fumbling with their bag and clearly in a world of their own. It wasn’t until they’d collected their suitcase from the trunk that they noticed Elena’s enthusiastic waving. Syd’s pace quickened and – in a moment – was pulled into Elena’s arms.

“Am I allowed to kiss you?” they murmured into Elena’s ear.

“I think that would be ok.” Elena breathed back and kissed Syd briefly on the lips, “Ok so, do you have the address of your hotel?”

“I do,” Syd let go of Elena to search for their phone, “my parents emailed me the reservation on the bus. Let me just find it. Right. I’ve got the zip code.”

“Shall we head there and drop off your stuff? I can’t wait to show you the city.”

“And I can’t wait to see it.” Syd started to march purposefully towards the exit but Elena caught their arm.

“I’m really happy you’re here. I’ve missed you so much.” Elena hugged Syd again, holding them tightly.

“And I’m really happy to be here. I’ve missed you too. Now, am I going to spend my entire trip to National city in the bus station?”

Elena loosened the embrace, apologising and headed towards the exit.

Syd scampered behind, “It’s ok. Are you alright?” they panted.

“Yeah,” Elena turned and smiled at Syd, “it’s just been a tricky few weeks.”

“I know. But I’m here now.”

“I know! But it does get better.” Elena paused to allow Syd to negotiate the revolving door, “We’re having dinner with Alex. And Maggie. Tonight.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Alex texted to ask us out – she knew you were visiting and wants to meet you. And she’s bringing Maggie!”

“This trip just gets better and better.” And with that, Syd linked arms with Elena’s, giving it a squeeze.

***

Elena had a slightly unpleasant sense of de ja vu as they approached the restaurant, causing her breath to quicken and panic start to take hold but then Syd linked their arm with hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Elena swallowed and regained control of her breathing, comforted by the presence of her S.O.

“Are they here yet?” Syd peered through the windows, still clutching Elena’s arm.

“Err, I can’t see Alex. Maggie could be here though.” Elena replied.

“Can you see her?”

“I don’t know. I’ve got no idea what she looks like.”

Syd relaxed their grip to turn to Elena in surprise, “you haven’t seen a picture?”

“Nope… Alex wouldn’t tell me what her surname is so I couldn’t stalk her. And besides, the majority of time I’ve known Alex, it would have been insensitive to ask to see a picture.”

“Not even after they kissed?” Syd pressed.

“I haven’t seen her since then.” Elena admitted.

“She could have sent it to you.”

“It would have been super weird to ask. ‘Hey, can you just send me a picture of the girl you just mashed mouths with?”

“’Mashed mouths’?” Syd pulled away from Elena, “Ugh, what do I see in you?”

“I really don’t know.” Elena grinned at Syd and pulled them in for a kiss.

They broke apart, still giggling about ‘mashing mouths’ when Alex and Maggie appeared.

“Oh damn.” Elena muttered approvingly as she saw Maggie for the first time.

“I know, right.” Syd whispered back.

“Elena!” Alex pulled her into a hug, “how are you?”

“I’m good, thanks. It’s good to see you!”

They broke apart and Alex gestured in Maggie’s direction, “this is Maggie.”

Maggie waved awkwardly and Elena smiled back, not quite making eye contact. They all stood there looking at each other until Syd cleared their throat.

“Oh, sorry. This is Syd,” Elena grabbed Syd’s hand, “Syd, this is Alex, and Maggie.”

“Hi!” Syd hugged Alex and nodded at Maggie, as unsure of what to make of her as Elena.

Maggie somehow managed to look, in equal measures, completely self-assured and at ease, and excruciatingly uncomfortable. She was intimidatingly well dressed – despite having come straight from work: her button-down shirt fitted perfectly and the leather jacket gave her just the right amount of edginess. Elena and Syd both found themselves comparing their baggy college student outfits with her effortless style and suddenly wished they were ten years older and actual adults who knew how to dress.

“Shall we head in?” Alex broke the cycle of nods and awkward smiles and subconscious comparisons and ushered Syd and Elena through the door. Noticing how Elena held Syd’s arm as they entered the restaurant, she reached for Maggie’s and was relieved to feel Maggie lean into her grasp.

The waiter led them to their table and Maggie excused herself to go to the bathroom, citing a rush from work.

Elena leapt on the opportunity to be brought up to speed, “So, how’s it going? Is this a double date? Are we on a double date? How have things been since the kiss? Are you two official?” leaving Alex somewhat startled at the deluge of questions.

“Whoah, slow down!” Alex held up a warning hand and glanced at Syd, “Sorry, Syd. I hope Elena’s paid this much attention to your life.”

“Oh, I’m much more interested in yours.” Syd replied over-earnestly.

“Thanks, Syd.” Elena raised a warning eyebrow in their direction.

“I mean, you two need to catch up, go ahead. Pretend I’m not here,” Syd added and sat back in their chair, clearly still listening as Elena looked expectantly at Alex.

“Fine.” Alex rolled her eyes, “We have spoken. Obviously, she’s here. But we’ve you know, spoken. We are dating. We’re taking it slow but people know. This isn’t a date officially, I just suggested that you two might need some… er… mentoring.”

Elena’s face fell. “So this isn’t a double date? And wait, you think I need mentoring? After all the conversations we’ve had, I think we all know who the mentor is.”

“Yes true. But I’m not going to tell her that,” Alex hissed as Maggie returned to the table.

“Not talking about me, I hope?” Maggie slid into the chair next to Alex and patted her knee. Elena and Syd smiled at each other, both spotting the intimate gesture.

“No!” Alex patted Maggie’s hand in return, “Elena was just… erm… updating me on college.” She turned back to Elena, “So…. How’s Erica?”

“Still the worst. Although, she did ask before inviting fifteen people over which I consider progress. She did ask in such a way that I felt she might actually kill me if I said no but still…”

“You’ll be besties by the end of the summer,” Syd squeezed Elena’s hand as they said this. Alex’s knee suddenly felt cold with the absence of Maggie’s hand that had now been withdrawn.

“Who’s Erica?” Maggie asked, trying to catch up.

“Erica’s the worst.” Syd and Elena both said together before laughing slightly hysterically at one another.

“She’s my roommate.” Elena replied, swallowing to calm the laughter down, “And is not the easiest of people to get along with.”

“The Erica stories are getting quite notorious,” Alex added. “You know, even Kara asks for updates on Erica.”

“Really?” Elena was taken aback: she didn’t especially want to recall the one and only interaction she’d had with Alex’s sister.

“Kara and I took Elena for dinner a week or so ago,” Alex explained to Maggie, “and that’s when I found out about Erica. And now I get almost daily updates.”

“Mine take about forty-five minutes over facetime. And then she’ll eventually ask me how I am.” Syd interjected, playfully elbowing Elena.

Elena reddened and looked pleadingly at Syd.

“And I love it,” Syd continued and planted a kiss on Elena’s cheek, “and I love you.”

There was a brief lull in conversation as Syd and Elena grinned stupidly at each other. Alex felt proud to see such outward displays of affection but also a strange pang of jealousy that it wasn’t her and Maggie.

“So how are you finding National City, Syd?” Alex said eventually, shifting her leg closer to Maggie as she spoke, prompted by Syd and Elena’s confidence in their relationship.

“It’s been good, so far.” Syd reluctantly broke their gaze with Elena, “I mean, I only arrived this morning but yeah, it’s good. Elena’s been doing a good job of showing me the sights.”

“She’s not got you lost yet, has she?” Alex teased.

Syd laughed, “No, not yet. I was hoping she’d take me to your bar. But she couldn’t find it. We were wandering around for ages.”

“Still not mastered google maps, yet?” Alex grinned in Elena’s direction.

Elena flushed red again, “I thought the whole point of the bar was that it couldn’t be found.”

“So wait, you guys know about the bar?” Maggie joined in, leaping on the opportunity to join in.

Alex turned back to Maggie, “Oh, yeah. Didn’t I tell you? I met Elena in the bar.”

“Really? How did you end up in the bar? I only found out about it when Alex took me there.” There was a slight hint of incredulity to her voice that Alex had potentially taken someone there before her but it went unnoticed.

“I just got lost and thought it would be a good place to ask for directions.” Elena grinned mischievously and added, “and I found Alex angrily playing pool.”

“Oh! Why were you angry, babe?” Maggie reached for Alex’s wrist

Elena froze and Syd suppressed a gasp.

Alex’s heart quickened both at the question and at Maggie calling her ‘babe’, “Err… you know, work was getting me down.”

Maggie nodded knowingly, “That figures. Supergirl swooping in and stealing all your thunder.”

Syd gasped, audibly this time, “Wait! Have you met Supergirl too?”

“Err, yeah.” Maggie replied hesitantly, “Our paths have crossed.”

“Of course! You’re a cop. You both do the same kind of thing.”

“I mean…” Maggie pulled a face.

“Have you met Alex’s sister, Kara? She’s a huge fan of Supergirl. I kind of put my foot in it when I met her.” Elena continued excitedly.

“Did you? How?” Maggie’s eyebrows were raised in down-played excitement.

“She probably just pointed out how ‘Supergirl panders to the patriarchy’” Syd’s imitation was spot on.

“Well she does…” Elena began.

“Ok. We’ve heard this before,” Alex interrupted, putting a stop to the debate before they all got carried away.

“I haven’t. I want to hear it.”

“No you don’t.” Syd and Alex said simultaneously.

“Tell me later,” Maggie said, winking at Elena.

Alex and Syd looked faintly horrified and Elena reddened slightly, giggling.

“Hey!” Syd elbowed Elena, “I’m right here. And so is Alex.”

Alex looked at Maggie with a look of mock disapproval, “Yeah, I’m right here.”

Maggie held her hands up, “Sorry, you know I only have eyes for you.”

“And I only have eyes for you,” Elena turned to Syd and planted a loud kiss on their cheek.

Emboldened by Syd and Elena’s display of affection, Alex did the same to Maggie and was quietly thrilled when Maggie responded by squeezing her hand and holding on to it.

“So how long have you guys been together?” Maggie asked Elena and Syd.

“About three years now, isn’t it?” Elena replied, glancing at Syd

“Yeah, worst three years of my life,” Syd added, grinning mischievously.

“Clearly…” Alex smirked.

“Just kidding. We’re obviously absolute couple goals.” Syd said emphatically.

“You’re not wrong.” Maggie concurred, started to see why Alex spent time with Elena, and now Syd, “So what’s the secret?”

“Well. It just works. We met when we were in High School in some random gay society and just went from there.”

“You were in a gay society at High School?” Maggie didn’t hide her surprise.

“Yeah, after I came out, I just kind of joined them all.” Elena said simply, “literally any cause that was vaguely LGBT+, I was there.”

“Oh. Wow.” Maggie was obviously impressed, “And your parents? They were ok with it?”

“My Mom was amazing. Took the whole thing in her stride. So did my Abuelita and Alex – my little brother, not your Alex. My Dad… he took a little bit longer to adjust but we’re cool now.” Elena nodded, “How are your parents with, you know…”

Alex turned to Maggie, having been about to ask the same question but felt her tense up next to her.

“Er, yeah. Mine were the same, you know?” Maggie responded. Her voice tight. “Catholic and Latinx so it wasn’t the easiest but you’d know that.”

“Oh, I do.” Elena grimaced, “I was worried I would find the pope in the living room ready to perform an exorcism. I wouldn’t be surprised if my Abuelita had him on dial.”

“Me neither,” Syd added.

“We haven’t ordered yet, have we?” Alex asked sensing they were approaching uncomfortable territory, signaled for a waiter as the others shook their heads.

“It looks like they’re really busy. That or this is just a really terrible restaurant.” Maggie added, looking around them.

“It wasn’t this bad when we were here last week with Kara.” Elena said.

“You’ve brought me to the same place you take your sister?”

“It’s a good restaurant.” Alex replied, defensively. “Usually.” She added.

After a while a waiter did bumble over, apologising profusely, to take their drinks order as upon his arrival, they realised they’d forgotten to look at the menu.

“You’re like Elena’s mom,” Maggie observed as Alex reassured Elena and Syd that ‘this was on her’.

“Cool aunt is my preferred label,” Alex grinned, “I just like taking care of her and, now Syd.”

“She is very maternal.” Elena added, “I’m just waiting for her to tell me to wear rainboots in the shower.”

Maggie’s eyes widened momentarily, an unobserved flash of panic passing across her face as Elena continued, “but seriously, it’s been great having her looking out for me. Even if it did mean an awkward dinner with your sister.”

“Kara’s lovely! That awkwardness was on you!” Alex exclaimed.

“But I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of her.” Maggie interjected.

“I just really want to meet Supergirl,” Syd murmured wistfully.

Alex stifled a laugh and styled it out into a cough and Maggie looked across at her quizzically.

“Me too.” Elena agreed.

“I’m not sure I’d want to meet her with you.” Syd asserted, “You’d probably manage to cause World War Three by insulting her or telling her to wear pants.”

“I’m sure she’d be more than willing to take my views into consideration.” Elena stated.

“I wouldn’t be so certain,” Maggie murmured.

“I think you’ll find she’s actually very reasonable,” Alex said firmly.

Maggie went to reply but stopped herself as Elena watched intrigued as the tension briefly peaked before dispersing.

“So, what’s everyone thinking of ordering?” Syd peered enthusiastically at the menu and everyone else followed suit.

Maggie closed her menu and laid it on the table, “you know, I’m not sure any of this is calling to me.”

“Me,” Alex closed her menu, “too.”

Elena and Syd lay their menus down, suddenly acutely aware of their hunger.

“What about Pizza?” Maggie suggested.

“Oohh, yeah.” Alex agreed, “I could really go for pizza right now. Why don’t we get the cheque and head back to mine. We can get pizza on the way.”

“That sounds perfect, babe,” Maggie grinned, briefly squeezing Alex’s knee.

Alex turned back to Syd and Elena, “You’ll both join us, right?”

Elena breathed out, relieved that they were still being included. And fed. “We’d love to! I mean,” she turned to Syd, “if you’re ok with that?”

“Of course! I’d love to see an actual National City apartment.” Syd enthused.

“Let’s hope it’s better than a National City dorm room.” Alex muttered.

“Oh, I haven’t seen one of those.” Syd said simply.

“Huh?! Maggie and Alex exclaimed together.

“I’m too scared of Erica so we got a hotel room. This trip is a birthday present from my parents and they kind of pushed the boat out.”

“Lucky you!” Maggie said, reaching for her jacket, “is it nearby?”

“It’s a couple of blocks away from campus, the plan is that I’ll sleep there and sneak back on to campus for classes.” Elena explained.

“I doubt you’ll need to sneak back on. Nobody will care.” Alex also grabbed her jacket – a leather on, inadvertently co-ordinating with Maggie – and threw some cash on the table.

“I was going to get this,” Maggie murmured. 

“But I said I’d pay for Elena and Syd. And I don’t expect you to pay for them.” Alex muttered back.

“Well, the pizza’s on me then.” Maggie smiled at Alex and turned back to Elena and Syd, “so anyway, what’s this hotel like?”

“It’s super swanky. I mean I just checked in and left my bags there but I can’t wait to have a proper explore.” Syd said excitedly.

“And steal the toiletries for my mom.” Elena added.

“Of course. Do you still want me to bring them back for her?”

“Yes please.” Elena looked at her phone, she’s texted me to remind you.”

“Right. Shall we get going?” Alex started heading towards the door and Elena and Syd followed behind, hurriedly pulling their jackets on.

***

They wandered down the street, Alex and Maggie leading the way and Elena and Syd following along behind them. They were holding hands and chatting happily, quietly discussing what they had seen of Maggie and Alex’s blossoming relationship. Alex glanced back to check they were still there and her heart was warmed seeing them walk along, clearly so happy in in one another’s company. Maggie was holding the pizza which meant their hand holding was out of the question but she allowed herself to slip her arm through Maggie’s, enjoying the sense of finally being two couples out together.


End file.
